Nonfiction
The Dose
“It’s unclear to me what the right remedy for Tyrone might be. I could be prescriptive, suggesting the cold turkey quitting of this vestigial worldview or that trans-Pacific trade agreement. What is clear, from both objective data and personal experience, is that Tyrone is not positioned to thrive into the future. Along with much of the rest of Blair County and many other gutted industrial communities across America, I believe that Tyrone is in desperate need of a rebirth.”
The Blender
“With no one to fill it up but no one to push its buttons either, the blender sulked alone on the counter. Vestigial vessel! Sans contents, discontent; content sans contention. No more mixtures but no more admixtures. High hopes of morning routines brought low then crushed, but how about that blessed clear peace without the roaring from the kitchen.”
Cut Tomatoes
“Help! It’s bad! The wife neighbor shrieked through our paperboard door with its gauze curtain and plexiglass window. I remember a dull but constant worry each time I’d leave mom home alone, separated from that maelstrom by such thin materials.
I opened the door and there she stood, so drenched in blood that it looked fake, I remember. What did he do to you? It’s him, she said. Help, please.”